Aluminum wheel polishing / Center Cap restoration?

[FMD]

Just a quickie.. the outside of the wheel is chrome plated, but the interior is bare aluminum. Whats the easiest way to polish the inner wheel to a mirror finish to at least match the chrome (slightly) Ive seen it done a thousand times but never on my own set. Also, has anybody else ever restored the center caps before? Couldnt capture it too well but theres tons of light scratches on the top of my set, has anybody ever done this before?

Thanks guys!

-Frank

 

[FMD]

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m138/FMD129/wheel_zpsfecd042f.jpg

Heres a picture of just one of the worst wheels. You can immedietly notice all of the stains on the inner barrel of the wheel.

 

[01yellercobra]

Is that dirt or corrosion on the barrel? I always start with wet sanding. Usually starting with 600 grit, then 1000, then 2000. Followed by a polishing wheel. It's not easy, but it works.

Maybe a polish made for plastic would help with the center cap I used to have some stuff for headlights that worked pretty good.

 

[FMD]

Slo, yeah it looks like stains and such on the barrel. Obviously if i can get that off that would be great, the concern after removing it would be if i can polish them though. I cant tell if its silver/grey paint or if its oxidation, and its real ford wheels also. I dont want to just go to town polishing them only for them to rust or something in a day haha. Is there any way to check or make sure before i go nuts? Because the silver/greyish color is also between where the bead seals are where the tire sits, and is very uniform so it appears to be paint but im not sure.

And for the center caps that was my EXACT thought actually, i just didnt want to test it out on real ford stuff when its so damn expensive to replace haha.

 

[01yellercobra]

One time I went crazy and cleaned the inside of my stock polished rims. I got all the dirt and brake dust off. There wasn't anything to polish on the inside of those. Maybe hit it with a Powerball and see if it comes off.

 

[FMD]

Slo, out of curiosity do you have any before / after pics of your wheels?

 

[01yellercobra]

Sorry no. I sold them about 3 years ago.

 

[ViperRed91GT]

Try polishing in an inconspicuous spot. If the polish turns black, it's metal. If not, stop.